


Because I care

by Happykiss



Category: Snowpiercer (2013)
Genre: Before the film, Gen, Kid Fic, Non-Sexual Spanking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-26
Updated: 2015-05-26
Packaged: 2018-04-01 09:50:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4015162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Happykiss/pseuds/Happykiss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The boy had guts, he knew that already but it was high time he learned to follow orders as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Because I care

The kid was going to be the death of him. 

Either that or he would kill the boy himself. Right now strangulation was ranking pretty high on his list. 

Curtis sighed and tiredly ran a hand over his dark beard. It shouldn't be this hard yet, he thought. Edgar was only fourteen, a child still, but in their world which was this train, he was soon to be all grown up. Too soon really.

The boy in question was currently banned to his bench, arms stubbornly crossed over his chest and once in a while he would kick the upper bunk angrily with his feet.

Well, if his sulking was anything to go by, right at this moment, Curtis might as well treat him according to his actual age. 

But he still hesitated. A sharp word or the occasional cuff to the head was normally enough to reign the boy in but Curtis had an idea that it wouldn't cut it this time. 

Maybe thinking back to the events that led them to this situation would help make up his mind.

\-----earlier-----

They had already been counted, like it was usually done every day before the distribution of the protein bars. 

Now everyone was waiting in line to grab their food and head off to quickly eat it somewhere, before any of the other passengers tried to take it. Edgar knew he was a bit small for his age and that some of the shadier folks thought it made him easy prey but he could hold his own in a fight. After all he did have to survive here his whole life. 

Of course, he also had Curtis.  
The kid would not admit it but having the older man as a guardian and to be by his side was probably the reason he had lasted as long as he did. It really made him stronger.

Suddenly there was a commotion at the front of the line. People started shouting angrily at the guards and the group was being pushed forward by the hungry people who wanted to know what was going on. 

Fists now raised, the furious crowd advanced on the soldiers in front of them.

As soon as the yelling started, Curtis hand had snagged onto Edgar's sleeve, groundling him. Annoyed, the boy looked up at him. "What's happening?"

A curly head turned towards them and Edgar recognised Andrew. The man shouted to them over the rising noise. "They just shortened the rations. The bars have been made smaller!" 

As if to punctuate his statement, the first passengers who had already collected their food started flinging the solid brown jelly at the guards. This would not end well.

"Go back and stay there until I come and get you!" Curtis barked at his young charge and gave him a shove towards the back of the section while surging forward himself to see if there was anything to be done about the situation.

Edgar stumbled a couple of steps and then caught himself before falling. He swiftly turned around and just barely made out Curtis' form pushing his way through the masses to the front. Damn him!

One of the women moved past him, pulling a small girl along with her while holding a tiny toddler on her hip. Her name was Annie, he knew that because she and her husband occupied one of the bunks near his own. 

"Come on boy, it's too dangerous for you here. We will wait at the back for the others," she hollered at him but did not wait long enough to see if Edgar would follow. She was too busy making sure her children would be safe and out of harms way.

That was just the problem. He wasn't a child anymore. He should be with Curtis, facing the front section guards.

So he started running. 

Ducking under flailing limps and dodging past the swinging fists, he quickly weaseled his way through to the mouth of their section.

Finally he spotted his friend, who was trying to free one of their fellow passengers that was held tightly by a soldier, while another guard harshly beat at his body with a metal rod.

At the same moment Curtis caught sight of Edgar and his eyes seemed to darken dangerously while his lips pressed together, forming a thin white line.

Edgar swallowed nervously before reflexively sidestepping a falling fighter and crouching low to trip one of the guards with his own body.

It worked surprisingly well, but the guard's boot caught him painfully in the face while the man stumbled and fell.

Before he could do anything else, Edgar was gripped around his waist by a strong arm and pulled up to his feet. Expecting Curtis to be the one helping him up, the boy let out a surprised huff when he recognised Gilliam's ward Grey. 

The Mute was only a couple of years older then Edgar but a good deal taller already and packing more muscle then some of the seasoned fighters amongst them.

The other boy didn't even look at him while punching left and right to fend of new threats.

Suddenly Curtis was by their side. "Get him out of here," the bearded man yelled at Grey without even looking at Edgar.

"No, I am staying with you!" the younger boy howled. 

But without even acknowledging Edgar's protest, Grey nodded at Curtis, whirled around and slammed his bare shoulder low into Edgars hip, tumbling him off balance and throwing him over his shoulder in the same motion.

Edgar was so stunned at first, he didn't even know what to say. And that was telling a lot because the kid was never quiet, he even talked in his sleep.

However that state didn't last long. "Put me down you bastard! Fucking hell, Grey ley me go," Edgar yelled at the other boy while pushing and wriggling to get off him. But to no avail.

The silent youth swiftly retreated from the still ongoing fight and soon reached the sleeping quarters. Dropping Edgar unceremoniously onto his bed he wrote a word into the air with his index finger. 

S-T-A-Y

Instead of waiting for an answer, or more swearing from the kid, Grey turned around, then nimbly jumped up on a broken crate reaching his arms towards the ceiling and disappeared into the vent.

Edgar stared after him angrily but he felt a bit defeated by this turn of events. Slowly the people started pooling back towards the safety of their cots, the fighting now apparently coming to an end.

He might as well stay put now and endure whatever lecture Curtis would bore him with, no doubt about it.

"It's just not fair," Edgar complained to himself.

\-----now-------

Shaking his head to clear away memories of the recent past, Curtis finally made his decision on how to deal with the present. Striding back to their bunk he cleared his throat pointedly to catch Edgar's attention.

The result was not exactly what he had expected.

Still relentlessly kicking at the metal bars of the upper bed, the kid didn't even look up while grousing at him. "Whatever you want, just stuff it, man! I'm not in the mood to talk." 

Curtis eyebrows shot right up to his hat in surprise and he even let a tight little smile slip out. The boy had guts, he knew that already but it was high time he learned to follow orders as well. 

"Well, it's a good thing you won't have to. You are going to listen while I will be the one doing all the talking," with that he drew the ratty little curtain which would separate them from the rest of the tail section. 

It was a mere illusion of privacy as there was no such thing as seclusion back here but it was the thought that counted. Maybe Edgar would appreciate it but somehow Curtis doubted that.

He took the two steps over to his young friend and was met with a heated glare and a hiss. "If you think you can ground me in here you are sorely mistaken, old man. I'm not a child anymore and you have no right to tell me what to fucking do or where to fucking go!"

The kid then jumped up and planted himself in front of the other man, defensively squaring up to him.

Curtis slowly shook his head again. "I thought you didn't want to talk. For once, take your own advice and shut up, Edgar." 

Before the argument could escalate any further Curtis had lifted his leg and planted one foot on the frame of the lower bed while grabbing the boy by his upper arm at the same time, yanking him briskly to be toppled forward over his thigh. 

Utterly baffled, Edgar was suddenly stood on his tiptoes, while his upper body was pushed further down by the grip on his arm. Bend over Curtis leg at the hip, his behind was currently up in the air, unprotected and very vulnerable. Is was almost an exact imitation of the way Grey had carried him over his shoulder earlier today. 

By now it was not a hard guess for the boy what was supposed to happen to him in this very position.

"No Curtis, you can't," he squeaked in surprise.

"Yeah? Try me," was the only reply, followed by a sound sequence of swats raining down on him.

The boy rocked forward with the force of the slaps and now his feet did leave the ground. Helplessly kept from falling forward only by the hand of the man who was currently setting his ass on fire. 

It wasn't much of a consolation that he at least got to keep his trousers - and his dignity to be honest, but the fabric was worn and nearly threadbare, it would not protect his bottom all that much.

In short, this spanking would hurt like hell.

And Curtis was not the kind of man who did things only half-heartedly, no, if there was a word to describe him it would be thorough.

"Well, it seems you think I'm joking when I tell you to stay out of danger," spoke the older man grimly and started to cover the upper part of Edgar's thighs in stinging smacks as well.

The boy gasped in pain but was determined not to cry out. If anything, he was too proud to let the others know what was happening behind the flimsy curtain. 

Even though it didn't take a genius to figure out that he was being thrashed soundly, by the noise Curtis' hand made on impact. 

"Please stop Curtis, I'm sorry all right?! Why are you doing this?" The boy hissed out between clenched teeth.

At that the man did pause. "Oh, you're sorry now, are you? What about Edgar? For getting punished? That's not good enough, far from it really," the man told him firmly and added two more heavy slaps to the undercurve of his bottom. "As for why, because I care you little idiot!"

Edgar felt hot tears stinging in his eyes. Without thinking, he bit down hard on his lower lip to keep from crying, opening up the wound on his mouth which he had sustained from the earlier kick, at the same time.

He finally whimpered in pain and let out the unwanted tears while a tickle of blood started to run down his face and dripped down on the blanket as well

Curtis halted the assault on the boy's behind and swore loudly. 

"God damn it Edgar, what's wrong with you? Why do you always have to be so stubborn!?", he bit out with a frustrated grunt. 

Standing the boy back on his own feet he looked at the kid's face, now blotchy and red from crying and a bright smear of crimson down his chin.

Edgar was currently sobbing silently while rubbing at his stinging bottom with one hand, not meeting the other man's gaze.

Curtis took one of his old tattered clothes that were stuffed under one of the mattresses and gently started wiping the blood, tears and snot from the boys face. He was glad that Edgar didn't pull away from him.

"What am I going to do with you, hm? You never listen," he chided the kid softly.

At that Edgar looked up into his eyes. "Not true, I always listen," he mumbled.

Curtis rewards him with a rare laugh. "Yeah but then you just do whatever you want anyways," he told the boy and ruffled his hair playfully. 

Then, out of an impulse, the man wrapped his arms around Edgar and held him close, like he had done when the boy was younger. Growing up without a parent to hold and love him. He had nobody. Just Curtis.

Edgar was still crying and had abandoned all sense of dignity. Clutching his best friend tight he whispered into Curtis' shirt. "What if you leave when I'm not with you? If they take you to the front? What if there is an open door and you go without me?", he hiccupped helplessly.

Curtis gave the child a gentle squeeze. "Not now, not ever. Where I go, you go as well. I won't leave you behind," he promised the kid. And in his mind he prayed to whatever gods there might be left in this frozen world, that he wouldn't ever have to break his word.


End file.
